Dom settled into the computer chair with the air of one who is severely happy with their recent actions. The nap and wash would be very good for his charge, and a nice change for the manservant as well. He was sick of it smelling like a stable. Lucky Juliet. Artemis assigned her a job outside of the manor, away from his stench. She was supposed to be a go-between for the informants, as well as a sort of leader. It was her job to keep Sophia in sight when possible. It was a hard task. They hadn't even found the girl's base after so many days. Often it was Juliet who was scolded when things went wrong, unforseen things. But at the very least she didn't have the stench to bother her.
Appart from the smell, things ran nicely. He was proud of his employer in his handling of the situation. The whole operation was running smoothly. Well, nearly. Butler was a little confused as to why, after so many sightings, they didn't have her. First Artemis claimed it was to find the topaz, though Butler suspected it was a little more than that. Revenge? Lure her into false security, snap and then taunt her. If Artemis was really concerned about the rock he could just truth serum the girl if need be. Put her under mesmer. Threaten her, trick her…there were thousands of ways.
No, it was certainly more than simply the gem. They had it now, didn't they? That stupid rock. Why hadn't he snared her? She was one woman, for God's sake!
Perhaps it was a little more personal now.
"They say hell hath no fury than a woman's scorn…" Butler thought. "That author has obviously never met a slighted Fowl."
Sure it was immature, but what else could it be? Artemis was playing with her! The note proved she knew about his stalking…was she giving a little back?
Revenge. The bodyguard shuddered. Something sinister. Two highly intelligent people were playing tag, Gods know how it's going to end.
Butler recalled a conversation he had with the Major Short and Foaly last night. Or was it early this morning? The time was all muddled into one long period.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"He's gone a little crazy."
"Well, that's to be expected." The Major shrugged. "It's his girlfriend."
"I've been waiting for him to go off the deep end for years now." Foal appeared on screen, a carrot in one hand, a jumble of computers visible in the back ground, monitors on casting a bluish-white glow with demented shadows. Holly's own back ground was the warm light of her apartment. She sat in a comfy hoverchair, caressing her bulging belly.
"Foaly. Nice of you to join us."
"Hey there big man." He neighed. "Did you know that our boy Artemis has hacked onto the Dublin Airport's computer system? And the Regan one in America?"
"No." Butler sighed. "I knew he was on the Dublin, but not on anything International. Was it messy?"
"A little." The centaur admitted. "I cleaned it up, though. He must be really over the edge."
Butler though back to his last conversation with the boy. They had been arguing over his cleanliness, something that had never been an issue before, even when Artemis was a child! The girl really had broken him up.
"Yeah. Really over the edge." The manservant echoed.
"Tell him he can paid me back later."
Butler nodded, planning to do no such thing. It was a trivial thing; the centaur would bring it up at some point himself. No need to worry his charge over his hacking skills.
"Is he really going to mind-wipe her of her identity?" Holly blurted out before she could stop herself. Foal started, eyes snapping to the other side of his screen, presumably where the Major's image was.
"What?"
"Yes." Butler massaged his forehead. "He is. It's vengeance."
"He's mad." Foaly neighed, eyes darkening. "You expect me to do that?"
"He and your commander arranged it, so yes. Yes, he does."
Foaly turned back to Holly. "Lela agreed to this?" His nostrils flared, voice serious and flat.
"Yes. I did my best but…"
"It's murder! Taking memories for the sake of a race I can understand, but taking their identity…it's-"
"You've done it before." Butler pointed out.
"Yeah, but that was different, we weren't doom those people to an eternity of Fowl, and her sister just died…"
"Can you convince him to change his mind when he gets her? Ask her to be on her best behavior, promise to stay, anything like that?" Holly implored, cutting across Foaly's weak argument with ease.
"Maybe. He's made up his mind, though."
"What did she do?"
The People didn't know Artemis' fury, just his greed. He wasn't about fight or flight, just payback. And you'd have to get him pretty bad to receive it. Still, Foaly and Holly knew him well enough to know something was up. Butler, however, didn't think it was his duty to inform them of their friend's betrayal. That was up to Artemis, whether they hear that or not.
"She met Artemis Fowl." Butler wanted to say, but simply replied with a firm, "It's not my place to say."
"Whatever it was…she did something bad. Really personal too, if this is his reaction." That was Holly, eyes wide. The comment was mainly directed to Foaly, who nodded in agreement. As the woman in the group, she occasionally took the traditional role of the comfort-giver/ass-kicker. Tonight it appeared to be half and half. Part of her wanted to kick Arty's arse, the other wanted to protect the girl from his wrath, then kick her arse.
Butler sensed vibrations , coming from down the hall. Someone was coming. It wouldn't do for his master to find him speaking to the People.
"Well, until next time. Good-bye." He gave Holly a wink and shut off the projector and transmitter.
"Butler?"
A drowsy Artemis shuffled in. He smelled of B.O., his hair was greasy, lips chapped, bags under his eyes. Not a pretty sight. He wore dress pants and a white button down. Obviously he had still been working even though the manservant sent him to bed hours ago. Pretty soon he's be sedating or restraining the boy. Things like this made him wish the Gavin girl-or, rather, Sophia- was home again. He was acting like a workaholic again. He stood in the doorway, yawning pathetically to stage having just woken up.
"Yes, Artemis?"
"Who were you speaking to?"
"Nobody. I was singing." The bodyguard offered. If the boy took that he was far out of it.
"Oh." Artemis looked around the room, blinking. "Please keep it down."
It took all of the manservant's self control to keep him from snickering. "Are you working?"
Artemis jumped the hurdle, landing safely away from the trick question. Tired he might be, but there was still some sense. Dull they were, but he still had them. "No. No, I was sleeping. "
"My apologies. Good night."
Artemis scrambled out, much faster than he was coming in.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
When Butler had logged off Holly and Foaly remained, discussing their theories as to what this odd Mud girl had done to deserve Artemis's revenge.
"He could be trying to help her." Holly suggested, half-heartedly. "She'd maybe gone crazy after the other Mud girl jumped. Maybe Artemis is just trying to ease the pain...?"
"Nah." Foaly said, casual tone off by a key. He was still upset over the Commander's agreement. "Mud men have medications for stuff like that. What's the matter Holly? Hormones actin' up?"
The Major glared, though not with her usual withering venom. Her levels had caused her to sometimes be a little more...soft-hearted than normal. Trouble and Foaly both had a ball teasing her, while Lela snickered right along with them when Holly overracted about tiny incidences. Of course, there could be an opposite effect. Major Short was nearly on supension twice when she bit off an underling's head over some missing paperwork. The language was that bad.
"Why would he mind wipe her? Foaly, you're closer to Lela's office. Don't tell me you don't have a few bugs hidden in there?"
The centaur shuffled his right front hoof. "I did have a couple place." He admitted. "But I haven't heard anything very useful."
"But you have heard things?"
"Yeah." Foaly didn't met her hazels, looking at another screen instead, licking his lips nervously. Holly's eyes narrowed. The centaur had something.
"Foaly." Holly said evenly. "What have you heard?"
"It was just a rumor, really. You know Pax Terrian? Works in the intelligence level?"
Holly nodded. Pax worked with the spy stuff. One of their best. She'd met him thirty years previously in the flight acadamy. She wasn't really surprised Lela posted him to watch Fowl, if that's what Foaly was implying.
"He was giving a report...and it sounded like our Mud girl was involved in some plot to plunder the Fowl gold...and possibly kill Artemis."
Major Short gasped. Partly surprised by the news and in part shocked by the fact that Artemis's hadn't known. Or had he? It was hard to tell, with Artemis Fowl II.
"How...how? She wasn't-"
"But she back out about a month ago. The other Mud girl apparently was told to back off."
"Obviously she didn't follow orders."
"Nope." Foaly agreed. "Artemis saw it all. Photos, maps, plans, blueprints. She'd left it all on the wall. Their living room wall, to be exact. Our Arty saw it and freaked."
"I can see why she ran away." Holly murmured, recalling a few of Artemis's temper-tanturms. When he was a teen he sulked and yelled once or twice when things went terribly wrong. It had never gotten out of hand, but that didn't mean it couldn't. People's emotions bottled up over the years, making their one up capping a packed event.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Butler was concerned. If Foaly went back on Comm. Lela's promise, Artemis would be forced to try out his own mind-wipe. He had the technology since he was 16 to do so, though he hadn't used it. Butler wouldn't put it past his employer to use the machine if desperate enough. The tests said it worked. However, there was more than a little underlying factor of its safety. Whether it was healthy to use or not wasn't a question Butler was aspiring to answer anytime soon, especially on Artemis' fiancé.
Maybe he wasn't desperate enough to try it. Perhaps Foaly would do the wipe, if it meant his job.
Just as he was pondering the options, the phone rang. He flipped it open and answered without checking the ID.
"Hello? Is this a 'Domovio Butler'?" The voice was business like, with a snobby tune playing about the vowels.
"Speaking."
"Ah, yes, well there seems to be a matter of paper work regarding your niece's-"
"My what?"
"Your niece, sir, Tara-"
"I don't have a niece."
"Why you do, sir, it's here in the papers, and since your name is on the contact sheet-"
"I'm afraid you have the wrong number."
"Click"
Mere seconds later it rang again, and Butler was sure to examine the ID screen before picking the sleek black device out of its cradle.
"Juliet-"
"Listen! I don't have much time, they're shoving people off the dock. Turn the TV on to CNN, okay? There's been a crash, it's bad-"
"What?"
"Just do it! Don't tell Artemis until you're certain--I'm being pushed away, gotta go. CNN, remember, right now!"
"Juliet, what-"
"Click"
Mumbling about how everyone has gone mad, Butler turned to the tiny monitor behind him. CNN came back from an ad break when the anchor starting talking of a plane crash. Dom's blood froze. The picture started to blur, distort, the sound along with it. Enraged, Butler slammed a hand onto the set. Not that this action honestly helped to quality.
He took off down the hall to the study Artemis had vacated an hour before, flipping on the TV.
"-and this is simply awful, Roger. Folks, those of you who have recently joined us, a plane bound transatlantic has had a sudden engine failure and fell into the water. It's 20 miles off the coast, headed to England to drop half its passengers.
"There were seventy aboard, 17, no, I'm sorry, now 19 now confirmed dead. The officers are doing their best to contact each deceased's family as they are found. We have a report of one passenger's uncle hanging up. The department is begging you to call a "Domovio Butler" if you are a friend. His niece Tara Gavin is one of the number, could someone please inform him? Now, Roger, how many have been confirmed alive and how many more do officers need to find?"
The phone called, shrill. Butler opened it. Dublin City Morgue.
"Yes?" His voice was hoarse. He sank into an armchair across from the screen.
"Mr. Butler, I am sorry to imform you of your niece's death. One of our employees called you quiet recently, I am sorry, he wasn't informed that you had not been called yet."
"Yes. It was in the plane crash?"
"I am so sorry, sir. Would you like to come down and ID the body yourself, or is there a friends….?"
"I—I shall inform her brother, then come down, myself."
"I am sorry sir. Does she have any other family, you were the only contact she put down, perhaps an estranged parent?"
"No. No, thank you."
"Click"
There wasn't any guarantee that it was her. Artemis had said she bought quiet a few tickets. There were a number of people with red hair. Still…the calls….Juliet…
Artemis…!
He would be devastated, if it was her. It couldn't be. It had to be someone else. She wouldn't died, not for that. If anyone on that plane had escaped, it would be her.
Maybe…maybe it was staged. Made to look like she died, so she could start clean without anyone look for her any more…no too many people really did died. Sophia wasn't a murderer. Perhaps it was a suicide then? Again, the problem with bringing so many people down with her wasn't logical. When has suicide been logical?
Whatever the case was, he had to tell Artemis. Soon. News this big, this close to the city wouldn't be kept from his ears for long. And soon some media busy-bodies would recognize the name "Tara Gavin". If this was all real that would not make Artemis happy.
Butler headed down the hall to Artemis' room. The young man stood before the mirror adjusting his tie with a concentrated look on his face. He was thinking, planning the next move. If it was true there was no "next move".
The manservant stared at his charge, wondering how he should present the grave news. Artemis was so grown up. The years had flown. Hell, the months had! He'd matured, let loose a little. Tara had done him so much good. Gods, what would happen now? Would he return to the cold, aloof brat he was? Or would he stay changed, in honor of her? What would happen, indeed?
"Well?" Artemis was irritated, staring right back. "What is it, Butler? I'm still dressing."
"Artemis-" His voice came out, broken. Unexpected.
Artemis froze, eyes distant. Somehow, he guessed.
"You'd better see this."
As they exited the room Butler though he heard Artemis murmur something. "Words that shatter."
What more is truth? The bodyguard thought sadly. She had one final trick to torment him with. Her memory. Somebody had to go ID the body.